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The KAT-7 radio telescope array isoperational and has produced its firstimages. The SKA site, near Carnarvon in theNorthern Cape, is in the middle ofa proclaimed radio astronomy reserve. No mobile phones or other electronicdevices are permitted in the reserve. Prof Justin Jonas is optmistic about SouthAfrica’s chances of winning the SKA bid.(Images: Janine Erasmus) MEDIA CONTACTS • Tommy Makhode Dept of Science and Technology +27 12 843 6793 or +27 82 379 8268• Marina Joubert SKA South Africa communications +27 83 409 4254 RELATED ARTICLES • SA’s SKA takes another step forward • MeetKAT in demand among scientists • Space science thriving in SA • Gallery: the KAT-7 radio telescope • SA assists with Nasa’s Mars missionJanine ErasmusSouth Africa is one of two finalists bidding to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), and with its rival Australia is awaiting the recommendation of the SKA Site Advisory Committee, due in February 2012.But whether or not the US$1.9-billion ($15.9-billion) project goes ahead, the local astronomy sector has already made huge strides.Speaking in Cape Town in December, South Africa’s deputy science and technology minister Derek Hanekom said that the SKA project has got the country’s brightest young minds excited about astronomy.Hanekom added that the SKA is a major catalyst for human capital development in relevant fields, and with over 300 bursaries already awarded to students from around the continent, has been a scientific boon for South Africa and other African countries.“With the equipment already developed and built, South Africa has proven its scientific capability,” he said, “and has shown that it is a country that can play a pioneering role in science.”When complete, the SKA will comprise some 3 000 radio antennae, spread out over a vast area of Southern Africa. South Africa will host the core of the array, comprising about half the dishes, and it and eight partner countries in the region will accommodate the remainder.The first astronomical observations, expected in 2019, will help to answer long-standing questions such as the formation of the universe; why it’s expanding; the possibility of life on other planets; and the mystery of dark energy and dark matter.Ground-breaking technologyAt the isolated Northern Cape site which has been set aside for the SKA, an array of seven dishes is already operational – this is the Karoo Array Telescope, or KAT-7.The KAT-7 is a precursor to the larger 64-dish MeerKAT array, which itself is a precursor to the SKA.A ground-breaker in its own right, KAT-7 is the first radio telescope to consist of fibreglass dishes.These were produced on-site from a mould, and the same manufacturing facility will be expanded to accommodate the larger MeerKAT dishes, using local ingenuity and skills.MeerKAT is Afrikaans, meaning “more KAT”, but is also the name of an endearing little mongoose-like mammal that is indigenous to the Northern Cape and other Southern African regions.When completed in 2018, MeerKAT will be among the five largest radio telescopes in the world.Hanekom stressed that the MeerKAT construction will go ahead, whether or not the SKA is awarded to South Africa.“Great astronomy work will be done, with or without the SKA,” he said.Hanekom also said that the knowledge that has already been amassed is invaluable, and that the project has given rise to a new generation of scientists. The unprecedented scientific opportunities are expected to keep South African talent in the country, and attract expertise from overseas.The KAT-7 has caused much excitement in the local astronomy community with the capture of images of the Centaurus A galaxy and its associated black hole, located 14-million light years from Earth.But scientists are looking further ahead, and are queuing up to book research time on MeerKAT, which will be the largest radio telescope in the southern hemisphere. Already five years’ worth of observation time have been allocated to ten research projects, ranging from a study of radio pulsars to a high-frequency survey of the galactic plane.South Africa leading the wayProfessor Justin Jonas, SKA associate director for science and engineering, and head of Rhodes University’s physics and electronics department, is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.He said that astronomy has been identified by the government as one of the fields in which South Africa is likely to succeed, because of geographic, natural and knowledge advantages.“We must have aspirations for cutting-edge science,” he said, “or we will always be viewed as a second-class nation.”Jonas said that South Africa’s government is wholly committed to the SKA and its related projects. The African Union has also stated its support for the project, and it is hoped that this will be one of a number of factors that gives South Africa an edge over Australia.The government has declared the entire Northern Cape province to be an astronomy advantage area, through the Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act of 2007. The only exemption is the Sol Plaatje Municipality, which encompasses Kimberley.Within the province, an area of 12.5 million hectares was proclaimed a radio astronomy reserve, and anyone entering must switch off their mobile and other electronic devices. Survey results show that the reserve is one of the quietest environments on earth, in terms of radio frequency, for radio astronomy. This makes it an ideal location for the sensitive SKA.The legislation means that any development that might interfere with the reception of radio signals must first be carefully considered.This high-level support has enabled South African scientists to leap ahead of their international colleagues in areas such as rapid prototyping.“For example, with our dishes we can now go from an engineering diagramme to an on-site antenna in less than a year,” said Jonas.Innovations in astronomy, he said, are helping to drive development in other industries.He mentioned another significant South African achievement – the second-generation Roach board, designed and produced locally.Roach is the reconfigurable open architecture computing hardware board that can be adapted to all kinds of digital signal processing requirements, including medical or telecommunications applications.“Roach 1 is now being used in every radio telescope in the world,” said Jonas. ”It can replace an entire rack of computers, and use a twentieth of the energy.”Because the development team has released the Roach design under an open source licence, the plans can be freely downloaded and used for an increasing number of applications, while the international development community grows.“The software is the key to getting the most out of Roach,” said Jonas.The KAT-7 uses Roach 1, but MeerKAT will most likely use Roach 3. Roach 1 was developed in collaboration with engineers from the University of California, Berkeley.read more

Share Facebook Twitter Google + LinkedIn Pinterest By Rory Lewandowski, CCA, Mark Sulc, Kelley Tilmon, Ohio State University ExtensionIf you grow alfalfa, now is the time to scout those fields for potato leafhoppers. Integrated pest management (IPM) scouts are finding potato leafhoppers (PLH) widely distributed across a number of alfalfa fields. PLH numbers have ranged from low to well above economic treatment thresholds. In addition, alfalfa growers have been calling about yellow leaves on alfalfa, one of the classic PLH damage symptoms. Alfalfa growers should consider regular field scouting for PLH because this is one of the economically significant pests of alfalfa.The potato leafhopper is a small bright green wedge shaped insect that arrives in our area each year on storm fronts from the Gulf Coast region. PLH is a sucking insect. PLH feeding causes stunting of alfalfa plants resulting in yield loss. Excessive stress on plants by heavy PLH feeding can result in yield reductions in the current as well as subsequent cuttings. A common symptom of PLH feeding is a wedge-shaped yellowing of leaf tips. If you are noticing these symptoms, some damage has been done. Regular scouting can help to detect PLH earlier and determine if there is a need for a rescue treatment.Scouting involves the use of a sweep net. There is no other way to properly and accurately scout for PLH. The procedure is to take three to five samples for each 25 acres from random areas within the field. One sample consists of 10 pendulum sweeps. After the 10-sweep sample, carefully inspect the net contents and count the number of PLH adults and nymphs. For non-PLH resistant alfalfa varieties, treatment is warranted if the number of PLH adults and nymphs is equal to or greater than the average height of the alfalfa in inches.An OSU Extension fact sheet on PLH is available on-line at https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ENT-33. A short video clip on how to scout for PLH and use a sweep net to sample for PLH is available at http://tiny.cc/PLHscouting featuring Mark Sulc, OSU Extension Forage Specialist.read more

Start Free Trial Already a member? Log in An 6-kW photovoltaic (PV) system can be installed for about $18,000 in many U.S. locations. With a 30% federal tax credit, the system costs the homeowner only $12,600 — or even less if utility or state rebates are available.This 6-kW system will produce about 8,000 kWh per year in Boston (worth about $1,600) or 10,300 kWh per year in Phoenix (worth about $1,230). That’s a lot of electricity.If you want to save between $1,200 and $1,600 per year on your heating or air conditioning bill, and you are willing to invest up to $12,600 to make it happen, you’ll probably find that adding insulation or new windows won’t get you to your goal. However, adding a PV system will.Back in late 2006, when a Habitat for Humanity house in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, became the first house in the U.S. to achieve 12 months of net-zero-energy use, the net-zero goal was challenging. Eleven years later, the net-zero-energy goal is routinely achieved by builders all over North America. That’s because designing and building a net-zero energy house is becoming easier and easier. Less expensive PV means a less expensive thermal envelope The usual way to design a net-zero-energy house is to stop improving the thermal envelope of the house when the envelope improvements cost more per unit of energy saved than an investment in a bigger PV system.In 2007, installing 1 kW of PV cost about $8,500. These days, the same PV system costs only $3,000 or $3,500. As the price of PV drops, investments in envelope improvements make less and less sense. Why upgrade to triple-glazed windows when the windows won’t save as much energy as an equivalent investment in PV?With less expensive PV, today’s optimized net-zero-energy home will have a thermal envelope that performs worse and costs less to build… Sign up for a free trial and get instant access to this article as well as GBA’s complete library of premium articles and construction details. This article is only available to GBA Prime Membersread more

Read Next Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson (1) scores in front of Orlando Magic guard Mario Hezonja (8) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis. APINDIANAPOLIS — Victor Oladipo and Lance Stephenson delivered the perfect combination for the Indiana Pacers.After watching their fatigued and foul-prone teammates spend most of the first 3 1/2 quarters scrambling to stay close, the tag-team energizers took matters into their own hands Saturday night. They drove and dished, they made shots and they defended.ADVERTISEMENT Globe Business launches leading cloud-enabled and hardware-agnostic conferencing platform in PH Kammuri turning to super typhoon less likely but possible — Pagasa NEXT BLOCK ASIA 2.0 introduces GURUS AWARDS to recognize and reward industry influencers Brace for potentially devastating typhoon approaching PH – NDRRMC 2 ‘newbie’ drug pushers fall in Lucena sting World-class track facilities installed at NCC for SEA Games PLAY LIST 02:49World-class track facilities installed at NCC for SEA Games02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games03:07PH billiards team upbeat about gold medal chances in SEA Games01:29Police teams find crossbows, bows in HK university01:35Panelo suggests discounted SEA Games tickets for students02:49Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss01:44Philippines marks anniversary of massacre with calls for justice01:19Fire erupts in Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City It was a knockout finish.Oladipo scored 24 points, Stephenson added a season-high 21, each had five rebounds and six assists, and the Pacers overcame a late 10-point deficit to get past the struggling Orlando Magic 114-112.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSWATCH: Drones light up sky in final leg of SEA Games torch runSPORTSLillard, Anthony lead Blazers over ThunderSPORTSMalditas save PH from shutout“When that energy (is there), when the crowd is into it, the players are into it, the bench is into it — it’s unlike any other,” Oladipo said. “It’s a great environment to be a part of. It might be a little tougher you know, playing as hard as we did yesterday and coming in (tonight) and trying to repeat. But it’s a part of the NBA.”The Pacers powered through on grit. LATEST STORIES Magic coach Frank Vogel expected nothing less from his former team.Each time he sensed the Pacers were about to make a run, Vogel called timeout even after the Pacers cut a 106-96 deficit to 106-95 on Sabonis’ layup with 5:32 to go.But the last timeout didn’t slow down Oladipo, Stephenson or the Pacers, who scored the next six points to take a 111-106 lead.Gordon had 22 points, 11 rebounds and four assists and Evan Fournier wound up with 19 points for the Magic, who have lost seven straight in the series and 19 of their last 22. Typhoon Kammuri accelerates, gains strength en route to PH After trailing by as much as 21, Oladipo’s 21-footer in the midst of a 15-0 run finally gave the Pacers their first lead at 107-106 with 3:30 to play. And they closed it out by finishing the game on an 18-6 run over the final 6:15.Still, it almost wasn’t enough.After Domantas Sabonis missed 1 of 2 free throws with 20.5 seconds to go, Orlando got two chances to tie the score and one to win it.But Aaron Gordon missed a 16-footer with 12.5 seconds left then missed two free throws with 7.9 seconds to go and Jonathan Simmons missed the go-ahead 3-pointer before Oladipo finally corralled the last rebound.“We knew it was going to be a tough second half. We played lockdown defense and we fed off of (the energy),” Stephenson said. “I know we had a tough rebounding night, but we made up for it. We just kept playing.”ADVERTISEMENT Wall held out as Wizards overwhelm Hawks Slow and steady hope for near-extinct Bangladesh tortoises Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. But he didn’t start.“We’re going to be patient with his return and work him back into the rotation,” coach Nate McMillan said before the game. “And Domantas has been doing a pretty good with the starting unit.”In less than 11 minutes, Turner had four points three rebounds and no blocks.FIGHTING THROUGHVogel wasn’t sure how long he’d last on the sideline.During pre-game availability, Vogel acknowledged he’s tried myriad treatments to fight off a cold and his voice was still pretty weak.“I’m going to try to coach but I’ve been coughing an awful lot so we’ll see how that goes,” Vogel said.He did make it through but is now 0-3 at Indiana and 0-7 against his former team. “We knew we’d have to win the second half different than we won the first half, our intensity would have to be greater,” Vogel said. “That’s what it looked like, and we weren’t able to hang on.”TIP-INSMagic: Elfrid Payton had 12 points and five assists on a night Orlando shot 54.5 percent from the field and scored 70 points in the first half. … Only 10 opponents have failed to score at least 100 points against the Magic this season. … Orlando has lost 18 of its last 20 to Indiana, dating to March 2013, and hasn’t won in Indianapolis since 2014.Pacers: Thaddeus Young scored 20 points and Sabonis finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. … After shooting 33.3 percent in the first quarter, Indiana shot 63.4 percent from the field in the second half. … Indiana has given up 143 points in the first half of its last two games. … The Pacers have won 10 of their last 11 home games against Orlando.HE’S BACKPacers center Myles Turner returned to action Saturday after missing the previous nine games with an injured right elbow. John Lloyd Cruz a dashing guest at Vhong Navarro’s wedding MOST READ View commentsread more

Lacson: SEA Games fund put in foundation like ‘Napoles case’ China furious as Trump signs bills in support of Hong Kong Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.netUnfazed by the home crowd, San Sebastian’s Michael Calisaan stood tallest as the Stags overcame the Arellano Chiefs, 65-56, in a bruising encounter for their first victory in the 93rd NCAA basketball tournament at Arellano Gym in Manila.Hardly intimidated playing in hostile territory, Calisaan dished out a double double with 12 points and 13 rebounds apart from anchoring the Stags’ airtight defense that shut down the Chiefs down the stretch.ADVERTISEMENT Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. LOOK: Jane De Leon meets fellow ‘Darna’ Marian Rivera Another vape smoker nabbed in Lucena “I’m used to it,” said Calisaan, referring to the scenario of playing against the home crowd. “I grew up playing in inter-barangay and inter-town leagues which usually means playing against the crowd. But coach told us to continue playing aggressive, despite the foul trouble.”The Stags evened their card at 1-1, bouncing back from a 67-76 loss to the San Beda Red Lions in Saturday’s opener.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSSEA Games: Biñan football stadium stands out in preparedness, completionSPORTSPrivate companies step in to help SEA Games hostingSPORTSWin or don’t eat: the Philippines’ poverty-driven, world-beating pool stars“We knew we needed to really stepped up on our defense in the fourth quarter,” said San Sebastian coach Egay Macaraya.Determined to take the crowd out of the game, the Stags got off to a rousing start by outscoring Arellano, 24-8, in the opening period of the first “NCAA on Tour” match this season. Ethel Booba on hotel’s clarification that ‘kikiam’ is ‘chicken sausage’: ‘Kung di pa pansinin, baka isipin nila ok lang’ LATEST STORIES The Las Piñas-based school is seeking to uphold the Altas’ victory over the Blazers because they were penalized twice— first with a technical free throw and later, a forfeiture order.“We’re still deliberating on it today (yesterday),” said NCAA Management Committee chair Fr. Glynn Ortega, O.A.R., of host San Sebastian.In a statement, Perpetual said it was surprised why commissioner Arturo “Bai” Cristobal and the Mancom allowed the game to push through.Even St. Benilde coach TY Tang agreed that “the game should have been over before it started.”Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next View comments MOST READ El Nido residents told to vacate beach homes Hotel says PH coach apologized for ‘kikiam for breakfast’ claim Pagasa: Kammuri now a typhoon, may enter PAR by weekend Gilas fate hangs on future pro stars But the Chiefs drew strength from Kent Salado as they came to within 50-52 with a little over four minutes left.Calisaan and RK Ilagan joined forces to close out the game with a 13-6 burst, while Arellano’s Salado and Archie Concepcion lost their cool and were slapped with unsportsmanlike fouls.Marwin Taywan was also ejected for hitting Allyn Bulanadi’s head.Arellano, which overpowered Mapua, 91-82, also on Saturday, dropped to 1-1.Meanwhile, Perpetual Help would challenge the decision of the NCAA, which forfeited the Altas’ 69-65 win over St. Benilde on Tuesday for wearing the wrong uniform color.ADVERTISEMENT Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss PLAY LIST 02:49Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games01:44Philippines marks anniversary of massacre with calls for justice01:19Fire erupts in Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City01:07Trump talks impeachment while meeting NCAA athletes02:49World-class track facilities installed at NCC for SEA Gamesread more

Ethel Booba twits Mocha over 2 toilets in one cubicle at SEA Games venue Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next MANILA, Philippines—Petron brushed off a third set jolt to defeat F2 Logistics, 26-24, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, Saturday night and successfully retain the Philippine Superliga Grand Prix title at FilOil Flying V Center.ADVERTISEMENT Hontiveros presses for security audit of national power grid Philippine Arena Interchange inaugurated LATEST STORIES Tamaraws finally put past behind them to return to UAAP men’s volleyball finals SEA Games hosting troubles anger Duterte Panelo: Duterte ‘angry’ with SEA Games hosting hassles PH billiards team upbeat about gold medal chances in SEA Games PLAY LIST 03:07PH billiards team upbeat about gold medal chances in SEA Games00:50Trending Articles00:50Trending Articles02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games01:44Philippines marks anniversary of massacre with calls for justice01:19Fire erupts in Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City01:07Trump talks impeachment while meeting NCAA athletes02:49World-class track facilities installed at NCC for SEA Games02:11Trump awards medals to Jon Voight, Alison Krauss Private companies step in to help SEA Games hosting The Blaze Spikers counted on imports Khat Bell and Stephanie Niemer to capture their sixth conference title, the most by any team so far.All in all, Petron won 19 of 20 matches in the conference — including its first 17 games — missing out on the opportunity to sweep the title after dropping Game 1 of the finals.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSPrivate companies step in to help SEA Games hostingSPORTSPalace wants Cayetano’s PHISGOC Foundation probed over corruption chargesSPORTSSingapore latest to raise issue on SEA Games food, logisticsNiemer scored 29 points, while Khat Bell had 19 points for the Blaze Spikers. They also got ample help from local middle blocker Remy Palma who added 14 markers, including clutch hits in the fourth set.PLDT wound up third, while Cignal was fourth place. Cayetano: Senate, Drilon to be blamed for SEA Games mess MOST READ DA eyes importing ‘galunggong’ anew View commentsread more

Michigan may have completely overhauled its coaching staff this offseason, but clearly, Michigan State and its fans aren’t conceding state bragging rights any time soon. Thursday night, one MSU board of trustees member made that clear.Mitch Lyons, the Vice-Chair of the Michigan State Board of Trustees, had a little fun with new Michigan tight ends coach Jay Harbaugh on Twitter. Harbaugh, clearing trying to endear himself to his new fan base, asked his followers if it was legal to own a Wolverine as a pet. Lyons responded, telling Harbaugh he should ask Coach Mark Dantonio. If you aren’t connecting the dots, he’s claiming that Dantonio owns the Wolverines.@JayHarbaugh @ryanschuiling Ask Coach D…..#GoGreen— Mitch Lyons (@mlyons85) January 23, 2015Considering Dantonio is 6-2 against Michigan in his time in East Lansing, this is an A+ troll job. Unfortunately, Harbaugh never responded, instead choosing to ignore the comment.read more

CALGARY – Jim Shaw, the former chief executive of Shaw Communications Inc., died Wednesday following a brief illness.The Canadian telecommunications company says in a statement that the vice-chairman passed away peacefully at the age of 60.He joined Shaw in 1982, working as a construction worker and cable installer, and later served as the company’s second CEO from 1998 to 2010.Current CEO Brad Shaw says in a statement that he not only lost a brother, but a great friend and mentor.The company’s board of directors and employees expressed their condolences to the Shaw family.read more